1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorbent article for absorbing and retaining a liquid waste such as menstrual blood and, more particularly, to an absorbent article enabled to absorb the liquid waste effectively in accordance with the motions of a wearer.
2. Related Art
In the prior art, there have been developed a variety of absorbent articles. In Unexamined Published Japanese Utility Model Application No. 7-33315, for example, there is disclosed an absorbent article (or a sanitary napkin) which aims at preventing the leakage of a menstrual blood when the wearer freely moves around.
The absorbent article disclosed in the Utility Model Application includes an upper napkin and a lower napkin, in each of which an absorbent core is covered with a liquid-permeable sheet. The upper napkin has a smaller inter-end edge size than that of the lower napkin and is positioned at the central portion of the lower napkin. From the two end edge portions of the upper napkin, moreover, there are extended a pair of elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction. These elastic members are fixed at their leading ends on the end edge portions of the lower napkin. These upper napkin and lower napkin can move relatively freely in accordance with the motions of the wearer without restraining each other.
However, the disclosed absorbent article has found it difficult to bring the upper napkin into close contact with the private part of the wearer because the upper napkin has a planar structure. What has been found especially difficult is to keep the contact with the private part while following the motions of the wearer. As a result, a clearance is formed between the upper napkin and the private part so that the discharged liquid is not absorbed by the upper napkin but is allowed to flow along the skin, thereby to cause a problem that the underwear is blotted with the discharged liquid. Therefore, the absorbent article has been liable to make the wearer feel uncomfortable.
The invention has an object to provide an absorbent article which is excellent in the followability to the motions of a wearer while keeping a close contact with the private part.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an absorbent article comprising: a liquid absorbing member including an absorbent core and a liquid-permeable sheet covering the liquid-receiving side of the absorbent core; a support body positioned on the lower side of the liquid absorbing member; and at least three elastic members for supporting the liquid absorbing member, each extending in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article and being fixed at its front and rear end portions on the support body, one of the three elastic members being positioned at the widthwise central portion of the absorbent article, and wherein the front and rear fixed portions between the central elastic member and the support body are positioned longitudinally outwardly of those between the remaining elastic members and the support body, whereby the support body is bent in the longitudinal direction by the tensions of the elastic members, and the liquid absorbing member is deformed to bulge at its widthwise central portion away from the support body by the central elastic member.
For example, the absorbent core may be supported by the central elastic member and the remaining elastic members. Alternatively, the absorbent core may be supported by the central elastic member whereas the liquid-permeable sheet may be supported by the remaining elastic members.
In the first aspect of the invention thus far described, the liquid absorbing member having the absorbent core is supported in the floating state by the central elastic member and the remaining elastic members so that it can move freely of the support body. Moreover, the liquid absorbing member having the absorbent core is deformed to bulge at its widthwise central portion so that it can fit on the concave shape of the private part to reduce the leakage of the menstrual blood.
It should be noted that the central elastic member may be one, two or more, and the remaining elastic members may be two, four or more.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an absorbent article comprising: a support body; an absorbent core positioned on the liquid-receiving side of the support body; an elastic member for supporting the widthwise central portion of the absorbent core, the elastic member extending in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article and being fixed at its front and rear end portions on the support body; and a liquid-permeable sheet covering the absorbent core and extended outwardly of the absorbent core in the widthwise direction, the extended portions of which are attached to the support body directly or through an auxiliary sheet rising from the support body, whereby the support body is bent in the longitudinal direction by the tension of the elastic member, and the absorbent core is deformed to bulge at its widthwise central portion away from the support body by the elastic member.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the absorbent core is supported at its two side portions by the extended portions of the liquid-permeable sheet and/or the auxiliary sheet rising from the support body and is deformed to bulge at its central portion by the elastic member. Therefore, the absorbent core has a degree of freedom with respect to the support body and easily fits on the private part.
In the above, elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article may be attached to the extended portions of the liquid-permeable sheet and/or the auxiliary sheet, and fixed at their front and rear end portions to the support body. In this case, it is preferred that the front and rear fixed portions between the elastic member supporting the widthwise central portion of the absorbent core and the support body are positioned longitudinally outwardly of those between the elastic members attached to the extended portions of the liquid-permeable sheet and/or the auxiliary sheet and the support body.
Thus, the absorbent core may be deformed to bulge by the tensions of the elastic members disposed in the liquid-permeable sheet and/or the auxiliary sheet and by the tension of the elastic member disposed on the central portion of the absorbent core.
Alternatively, the extended portions of the liquid-permeable sheet and/or the auxiliary sheet may be given an elastically shrinking force in the widthwise direction of the absorbent article.
In the invention, moreover, the elastic member supporting the widthwise central portion of the absorbent core (or the central elastic member) preferably has a higher shrinking tension than that of the remaining elastic members.
Still moreover, the support body may include a second absorbent core positioned on the lower side of the aforementioned absorbent core. However, the support body may not have the absorbent core or may be provided with a thin absorbent sheet.